Snack bars - including granola bars, protein bars and cereal bars - are taking up more real estate on grocery and convenience store shelves these days. The global snack bars market is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7% between 2018 – 2023.

Snack bars that offer health benefits and feature clean labels are one of the fastest growing segments in the market, and food manufacturers are working on formulations that combine nutrition and taste to appeal to a growing number of health-conscious consumers.

Have you reached for a snack lately? If so, you’re among the 91% of consumers who do so multiple times every single day. Cultural shifts and lifestyle changes have upended traditional eating patterns and will continue to drive the snack market, as demonstrated by more than one in five consumers saying they snack a lot more or somewhat more often than they did five years ago.

The types of snacks that consumers buy have shifted throughout the years, too. Sugar-laden treats and high-fat products are increasingly being replaced with more nutritional options to appeal to those who choose healthier and more active lifestyles.

Perhaps no other food product has been so highly revered throughout the ages as chocolate. Its popularity has only grown in recent years because of its purported health benefits. Cocoa, chocolate’s key ingredient, is high in antioxidants which can help lower stress, regulate blood pressure and potentially lower memory decline.

There’s been a lot of emphasis on the clean label trend as it relates to meal-time staples. There’s an increasing demand for simple, familiar and natural ingredients, and innovative food manufacturers are responding by reformulating their products to accommodate this health-conscious mindset.

Breakfast: it used to be one of the “three square meals a day” Americans were brought up to believe in. But as two working parents became the norm, lives became busier and busier, and the car served as a kitchen table, the lines between all meals have blurred, with snacking throughout the day becoming commonplace.